Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from October 2010

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from October 2010

NIATx pushes treatment programs to operate more like medical businesses.(Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment)
October 25, 2010... Last week NIATx launched the second phase of it's "Accelerating Reform" initiative, in which it will help about 250 providers learn how to develop business practices that make them ready for health reform. Each provider in the collaborative will...

Sierra Tucson enhancing assessment by using SPECT imaging technology.
October 25, 2010... The medical director of the Sierra Tucson treatment facility in Arizona sees the addiction field moving toward an era of more precise diagnosis aided by technology. Of the technological options available, Robert R. Johnson, D.O., is clearly...

Benefits of keeping mom on methadone outweigh risks to baby.
October 25, 2010... Babies born to mothers in treatment with methadone or buprenorphine go through withdrawal at birth, but they are not "addicted," two experts in medication-assisted treatment and pregnancy explained in a joint interview with ADAW last week. The...

How the Probuphine trial was done.(Brief article)
October 25, 2010... The blinded study a buprenorphine implant (Probuphine), published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (see ADAW, Oct. 18), showed promising results for the product, which is still years away from approval. Last...

CSAT to review ways to switch patients from opioids to Vivitrol.
October 25, 2010... The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), which regulates both methadone and buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction, is planning to convene an expert group to look at how to transfer these patients to Vivitrol (injectable...

TRI issues roadmap for integrating substance abuse treatment with health care.(Treatment Research Institute)
October 25, 2010... The Treatment Research Institute (TRI) has published its recommendations on integrating substance abuse treatment with primary care and other health care services, based on its April 22 meeting with the TRI Forum on Integration, funded by the...

Study under way to look at male sexual aggression and drinking.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 25, 2010... A new study will look at how drinking and sexually aggressive behavior are connected, from the male perspective. Most studies have been based on experiences of female victims. The study, to be conducted by Maria Testa, Ph.D., a senior research...

D.A.R.E. student turns in parents for marijuana.(Drug Abuse Resistance Education)(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 25, 2010... An 11-year-old student in Matthews, North Carolina turned in his parents for marijuana possession when he brought marijuana cigarettes to school and said they belonged to his parents. The boy did so as a result of a recent D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse...

Teen heavy drinking, drug use leads to mental deficits: study.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 25, 2010... Heavy substance abuse during adolescence could have adverse effects on intellectual abilities into adulthood, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of New Mexico found lower scores across a wide range of tests for these teens,...

Latest prescription drug problem in Kentucky: Opana.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
October 25, 2010... Oxymorphone (Opana) is the latest prescription painkiller to be abused in Kentucky, according to law enforcement officials in that state, where Oxycontin was known as "hillbilly heroin" and was a major problem. Operation UNIT comes in an time...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
October 25, 2010... The Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse will hold its annual conference November 4-6 in Bethesda, Md. For more information, go to www.amersa.org/conf.asp. Therapeutic Communities of America will hold its national...

In case you haven't heard ...(legalizing marijuana)(Brief article)
October 25, 2010... Although Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, has been speaking out against the medical marijuana proposition in California, saying that Mexican drug cartels derive 60 percent of their revenue from marijuana...

SAMHSA plans dramatic changes as health reform proceeds.(Conference news)
October 18, 2010... Regulatory and legislative changes are in store for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), according to SAMHSA administrator Pam Hyde. The block grant will change "dramatically" before 2014, said Hyde, speaking...

Kansas professionals see license law as pivotal to elevating counseling.
October 18, 2010... While legislation on the credentialing of addiction counselors has generated divisiveness among professionals in some states, Kansas is moving toward the effective date of a licensure law that was adopted with minimal fanfare and appears not to...

NIDA heralds new delivery systems to treat opioid addiction.
October 18, 2010... Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vivitrol (naltrexone), a month-long naltrexone depot injection, for the treatment of opioid dependence. Also last week, results of a clinical trial of a 6-month buprenorphine implant...

SAMHSA grant will help Odyssey House develop peer workforce.
October 18, 2010... Odyssey House has been awarded a three-year, $1.2 million grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to fund an enhanced services for people in recovery from addictions, with the money to be used to train--and pay a...

Post-disaster alcohol abuse is pre-existing: study.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 18, 2010... A federally-funded study has found that most alcohol abuse disorders are either a continuation or a recurrence of preexisting problems. The study analyzed 10 recent disasters, and found that while a high prevalence of problem drinking occurs...

D.A.R.E. Minnesota moves beyond drugs.(STATE WATCH)( Drug Abuse Resistance Education )(Brief article)
October 18, 2010... School districts have been dropping the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program as study after study has proven it doesn't work--at least for that purpose. Minnesota D.A.R.E. is reinventing itself to be more relevant to school...

Joseph A. Califano, Jr.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
October 18, 2010... Joseph A. Califano, Jr. received the 2010 Gustav O. Lienhard Award from the Institute of Medicine. The $40,000 award, named for the founding chair of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, honored Califano, founder and chairman of the National...

David F. Musto, M.D.(OBITUARY)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 18, 2010... David F. Musto, M.D., the greatest drug policy historian in the United States, died Oct. 8 from a heart attack while in China, where he was donating his books and papers to Shanghai University and establishing a Center for International Drug...

AAAS offers guide for parents on alcohol.(American Association for the Advancement of Science)(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
October 18, 2010... The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has released a free, online book, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, that will help children understand how alcohol affects the brain and body, and...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
October 18, 2010... The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, Inc. (AATOD) will hold its 2010 National Conference, "Building Partnerships: Advancing Treatment & Recovery," on October 23-27 in Chicago.Visit www.aatod.org for more...

In case you haven't heard ...(City Without Drugs' officials were convicted of kidnapping)(Brief article)
October 18, 2010... City Without Drugs, an anti-drug foundation that provides treatment, found itself at odds with local law enforcement after it complained that 140 cases against drug dealers had been "hushed up," according to an October 13 report in Moscow Times....

Tarzana SAMHSA grant will expand primary care to SUD patients with SMI.(Integration Profile)(serious mental illness)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(substance use disorder)
October 11, 2010... Tarzana Treatment Centers has been awarded almost $2 million over four years to provide primary care services to patients with serious mental illness (SMI) under the integration grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...

Today's tight fundraising environment requires strategic shift for centers.(Integration Profile)
October 11, 2010... In an environment where many traditionally reliable donors are having to choose paying bills over supporting their favorite nonprofit, addiction treatment center leaders are urging their colleagues to rethink their past assumptions about the...

Veterans sanctuary, residential TC, to open in Pennsylvania.
October 11, 2010... Using the therapeutic community (TC) model, Pennsylvania-based provider Treatment Trends will open a 60-bed residential program for veterans in Allentown this fall. Called "Veterans Sanctuary," the program will serve veterans with addictions and...

Buprenorphine shows promise as treatment for newborns.(Report)
October 11, 2010... A new study has found that infants who had been exposed to opioids before birth, traditionally treated with decreasing doses of morphine to reduce withdrawal symptoms, may do better on buprenorphine. Published Oct. 6 in Addiction, the study...

SAMHSA releases strategic initiatives paper, asks for comment.(Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
October 11, 2010... The Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last week released a paper outlining the agency's goals and action steps, and is requesting comments by October 22. SAMHSA is now "seeking help and assistance from the world...

Program to help sailors with web-based recovery services.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 11, 2010... Hazelden is helping the Navy provide web-based treatment to families in the Navy's Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Services program, The Associated Press reported last week. The $3.25 million program will provide continuing care and support...

Study finds self-medicating symptoms leads to addiction.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 11, 2010... Using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate anxiety symptoms increases the risk of substance abuse, according to a study presented at the Canadian Psychiatric Association annual conference in Toronto earlier this month. While in the short term,...

SAMHSA issues treatment advisory on protracted withdrawal.(RESOURCES)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration )(Brief article)
October 11, 2010... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released "Protracted Withdrawal," its latest Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory. The advisory will help counselors differentiate between protracted withdrawal--which resolves over...

SAMHSA launches oil spill distress hotline.(RESOURCES)(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
October 11, 2010... As part of the Obama Administration's response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has launched a toll-free helpline to support families. They can call 800-985-5990 and...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
October 11, 2010... The 2010 Annual Conference and Training Institute of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association will be held October 17-21 in Las Vegas. Go to www.swiftpage6.com/CampResource/2Y0RJSUNHVITLMSO/1/text.pdf for more information. The...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
October 11, 2010... Resources for Human Development, a national not-for-profit group, discriminated when it fired an obese employee who worked with children of mothers in treatment for addiction, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Last month...

The recovery movement grows up: paid peers and health reform.
October 4, 2010... The recovery movement celebrated last month with record-breaking attendance at events across the country, and at the same time moved into a new arena: implementation of health care reform. The first interagency recovery summit, held September 14...

CEO sees merger with MH organization as positive step in health reform era.(mental health services)
October 4, 2010... Public funding allotments for addiction services and mental health services occupy distinct funding silos in Massachusetts, as is the case generally across the country. Yet one well-known addiction treatment organization in the state is moving...

Health reform will bring more patients: CATG Initiative.(Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap)(Report)
October 4, 2010... Health reform can remove financial barriers to treatment, according to an analysis by the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap (CATG) Initiative released last month. The CATG Initiative report analyzed the National Survey on Drug Use and...

National Council wins HRSA/SAMHSA integration training grant.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) )(Health Resources Services Administration)
October 4, 2010... The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) has won a four-year, $5.3 million grant to establish a training and national assistance center to integrate primary care, substance abuse, and mental health services....

Stress hormone could increase relapse risk in recovering alcoholics.(Brief article)
October 4, 2010... High levels of cortisol, a hormone produced in response to stress, in both current alcoholics and those in recovery from alcoholism, could contribute to relapse, researchers reported last week. The study, conducted by Abi Rose and colleagues at...

Drug policy director commends passage of drug disposal bill.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010)(Brief article)
October 4, 2010... Last week, following the nationwide drug-take-back day sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, drug control policy director Gil Kerlikowske issued a statement supporting the passage of the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of...

Original manuscript of Big Book gives insight into religion debate.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
October 4, 2010... Last week, the original manuscript for the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous was made public, revealing that there was a debate 70 years ago about how much religion the book should include. The decision to use the phrase "higher power" instead of...

UCLA starts first clinical study of ibudilast for meth dependence.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(University of California, Los Angeles)(Brief article)
October 4, 2010... Steven Shoptaw, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles will initiate a study of ibudilast with methamphetamine-dependent volunteers, MediciNova announced last week after the Food and Drug Administration approved the...

Virginia jail to lose treatment programs.(IN THE STATES)(Brief article)
October 4, 2010... Due to state budget cuts, Colonial Behavioral Health, which operates treatment programs in Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, has had to cut counselor staff and discontinue treatment programs altogether, according ot a report in the Virginia...

Coming up ...(Institute of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association)(American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, Inc)(Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse)(Brief article)(Calendar)
October 4, 2010... The 2010 Annual Conference and Training Institute of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association will be held October 17-21 in Las Vegas. Visit www.swiftpage6.com/CampResource/2Y0RJSUNHVITLMSO/1/text.pdf for more information. The...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
October 4, 2010... Three years ago in this space, the topic was ferrets--specifically, ferret litter. The federal government had recently issued its directive that unwanted prescription drugs be disposed of in the trash, preferably in kitty litter or used coffee...